Your Best Shot
by Waistcoat-Dave
Summary: This is all about the relationship between Chloe and Aubrey that existed before the events of "Pitch Perfect" ENJOY!


Your Best Shot

Aubrey Posen walked through the corridors of Barden University. She was understandably nervous. She knew nobody at this place. The only thing she knew was that she wanted, she _needed _to audition for the very exclusive all-girl a cappella group: The Barden Bellas. Aubrey stopped in front of a door and looked at the piece of paper in her hand, she looked at the dorm number written on the scrap of paper and then looked at the same number inscribed on the door. Aubrey took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped into the dorm room, pulling her suitcase in after her.

There was a red-head already in the dorm room; she was busy putting up a David Guetta poster. The first thing Aubrey noticed was that the red-head was listening to a song on a cassette playing Walkman. The second thing she noticed was that the red-head had an exquisite singing voice. If _anyone _would make it into the Barden Bellas this year, it would be the red-head that stood before her.

"Hit me with your best shot, fire away!" she sang loudly and passionately as she finished putting up her David Guetta poster. She turned around and let out a yelp of surprise, alarming Aubrey. The red-head hurriedly pressed the stop button on her Walkman and removed her headphones.

"Um… hi. I'm Aubrey. I'm your room mate." Said Aubrey nervously, offering her hand in a sign of friendship. The red-head was obviously not of the hand shaking type as she immediately pulled Aubrey into a tight hug of unconditional friendship.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Aubrey! I'm Chloe. Chloe Beale. Sorry about the hug, but we are roomies now." Said Chloe happily, operating on the assumption that being room-mates with someone meant that over-zealous hugs were in order. Aubrey didn't mind, it was far better to be met with over the top friendliness than over the top hostility. She had a feeling that she would be really good friends with Chloe.

"So, Chloe? What have you come for Barden University for?" Aubrey asked, as she started to unpack her belongings.

"Well, there were plenty of universities that offered the courses I wanted to do, but Barden had the one advantage over all the others. I came here, because I want to join The Barden Bellas." Said Chloe, her voice filled with dreamy awe over the prospect of joining the prestigious a cappella group. Aubrey gasped and dropped the dress she was examining.

"Excuse me?" Aubrey said, turning to face Chloe.

"I want to join the Barden Bellas." Chloe repeated, but slower this time, giving Aubrey an incredulous look.

"That's why I came to Barden University! I've seen the Bellas perform so many times and it's been my dream to join them for ages!" Aubrey said quickly, her words rushing from her mouth like a linguistic waterfall. Chloe smiled at her and gestured out of the window.

"Well, the Activities Fair is going to be on all day, do you want to come with me and check out the Bella stall. We can find out when auditions are and what song we have to prepare." Chloe suggested, her upbeat tone was, in Aubrey's mind: angelic.

Aubrey and Chloe finished unpacking and personalising their respective halves of the room that they would be sharing for the foreseeable future. Then they made their way outside to visit the Activities Fair and find out more about joining the "Barden Bellas". When they reached the Bellas' stand they were greeted by a girl with black hair, presumably the leader.

"So, you two are interested in joining the Barden Bellas?" asked the girl with the black hair, looking Chloe and Aubrey up and down with an enthusiastic smile on her face.

"Yeah, totes!" Said Chloe excitedly. The black haired girl looked at her scornfully; any trace of a smile had disappeared.

"Aca-scuse me? Did you actually just say 'totes'?" said the black-haired girl with disgust in her voice. Aubrey stepped in and took over speaking while Chloe looked at her feet, ashamed.

"We just want to audition for the Bellas. A cappella is a shared passion of ours and joining the Bellas would be a dream come true." Aubrey said, hoping that flattery would work on the black-haired girl.

It didn't.

"Okay, here's a flyer. Auditions are in a fortnight. You have to perform "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters. You have one chance to impress us and one only, so if joining the Bellas is your dream, then do not screw up. Got it?" snapped the black-haired girl thrusting a pair of flyers at Aubrey and Chloe. The two girls walked away holding the flyers proudly.

"Thanks for stepping in when you did, Aubrey." Chloe said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it, she was being a total bitch. You shouldn't have to take any crap from anyone." Aubrey said, with a forceful edge to her voice. Chloe smiled to herself, she had a feeling that Aubrey and she were going to become really good friends.

_Two Weeks Later_

Aubrey stamped her foot in frustration waking Chloe from her mid-afternoon nap or siesta as she called it. Why she insisted on using the Spanish word was anyone's guess.

"Aubrey, what's wrong?" asked Chloe, concern in her voice. Aubrey sighed and sat down on her bed, Chloe came and sat next to her, putting a reassuring arm around her.

"I can't sing." Aubrey said, forlornly. Chloe looked surprised at this statement. She had listened to Aubrey practice and she could sing wonderfully, she would knock the socks off the black-haired Bella bitch.

"Aubrey, you can sing like an angel. You are a fantastic singer." Said Chloe brightly, her upbeat tone making Aubrey smile. Tears started running down Aubrey's cheeks.

"You don't get it Chloe, I appreciate your encouragement, but I have a problem. I blow under pressure." Aubrey sighed. Chloe looked confused.

"Blow? I don't understand." She said.

"I throw up. A lot. When I perform in front of people, if I get particularly nervous I vomit all over the place. I've ruined so many things by getting nervous and if I screw up at being a Bella, I don't know what I'd do." Aubrey sobbed, burying her face into Chloe's shoulder.

"Aubrey, listen to me. You are a wonderful singer, you sound fantastic. If you throw up when you are nervous, then think of something that can make you mellow out. Think of a happy moment in your life." Chloe said, trying her best to offer some constructive advice that might make Aubrey perk up. Chloe's palms were sweating, a biological function which meant that her brain and her heart were agreeing on something for once. This girl, Aubrey Posen, was beautiful and charming and her general demeanour was just adorable. Chloe had never fallen for a girl this quickly before. They had only spent a few weeks as room-mates and in that time Aubrey had wormed her way into Chloe's heart and was refusing to budge.

"I don't have a moment in my life where I was so happy that the thought of it would stop me vomiting." Aubrey sighed. This was Chloe's chance. There was a fire in her heart and rather than attempting to douse the flames she was going to stoke them.

"Well then Aubrey, it looks like we're going to have to make some happy memories." Said Chloe chirpily and with that she pulled Aubrey close and kissed her and Chloe's inner fire bloomed in a magnificent surge of passionate flame. Aubrey didn't pull away, in fact she surrendered herself to the kiss. She had been developing feelings for this girl almost since they had first met and Aubrey was no longer going to deny her feelings. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity.

_The Bella Auditions_

Aubrey finished her rendition of "I'm So Excited" with a flourish and a bow to the other Bellas. The Black-haired Bitch actually looked impressed, which gave Aubrey a glimmer of hope. She left the stage and when she was in the wings, Chloe ran up to her and swept her into a tight cuddle. While they were hugging they could hear that the next audition was going badly.

"Are you kidding? You can't join the Bellas, your boobs look like baloney! Get oyt of my sight!" Yelled the Black-haired Bitch. The rejected audition ran past Chloe and Aubrey in tears.

"Oh my god, who was that?" Aubrey asked, mortified by the way the Black-haired Bitch had just crushed that girl's hopes and dreams.

"I don't know, I think she said her name was Barb." Chloe said, watching as Barb ran off in tears. She looked back at Aubrey who was smiling.

"I didn't throw up! I thought I would, but I didn't!" she screamed ecstatically. Chloe smiled back and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"I told you that thinking of something happy would make you stay calm under pressure." She said, winking.

"You were right, I'm sorry I doubted you." Aubrey laughed.

"Don't worry about it. Just buy the first lot of drinks and we'll call it even."

"Drinks?" Aubrey asked, confusion in her voice.

"Duh. We got through auditioning and we didn't get cut down by the B.H.B, that calls for a minor celebration." Chloe replied, taking Aubrey's hand and semi-dragging her out of the hall.

_Three Weeks Later_

Chloe was tapping away at her laptop, while Aubrey paced nervously around their dorm room. She was nervous, she had been told that the Bellas would contact them directly if they were interested. They should have made contact by now, it had been three whole weeks. She knew her singing had been bad but Chloe's voice was fine. _Why _hadn't they been in touch?

"Aubrey, stop pacing. You're just working yourself up over nothing." Chloe said not looking up from her laptop. Clicking onto her e-mail inbox, she saw she had a new message, it was from "The Barden Bellas"! She leapt to her feet with scream of excitement, which turned to disappointment when her laptop toppled to the floor. Aubrey turned around.

"What the hell?" she said, looking at Chloe in confusion. Chloe was jumping about with excitement, but at the same time making sure she didn't land on her laptop screen.

"Aubrey, check your e-mails now!" Chloe screamed, but it was a happy scream, rather than a scream of distress. Aubrey fired up her laptop and clicked on the e-mail icon and her inbox popped up. The counter informed her that she had no new messages.

"Chloe, I don't know what you're talking about, but I have no new messages."

"Click refresh."

"Nothing."

"Click it again."

"Still nothing."

"Again! Just keep clicking!" Chloe said, her voice turning from excited to desperate to despair. Aubrey had finally put two and two together and had worked out why Chloe had sounded so excited and why she now sounded disappointed. Aubrey's eyes welled up and then she blinked and the tears ran freely down her cheeks like a salty waterfall of misery. Chloe hugged her supportively, cradling her head and whispering caring and supportive words into her ear. Aubrey's whole body was shaking as every negative emotion surged around her body, all at once shaking her to her very core.

_DOINK!_

Chloe and Aubrey sat bolt upright and looked over at Aubrey's laptop. There was a new message in her inbox. It was from "The Barden Bellas"! Aubrey clicked on the message tentatively and it opened before her. They both read it together.

"_Candidate Aubrey,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you performed above adequately at auditions and after much consideration, we have decided to accept you as a member of the Barden Bellas._

_You should treat this as the highest honour you will ever receive… so __**DO NOT**__ f**k it up!_

_We expect to see you tomorrow evening for your aca-initiation._

_The Barden Bellas"_

Chloe and Beca both started to cry as they embraced. Rather than the cold tears of sadness, they shed the warm tears of joy. They were both members of the most well-known and exclusive all-girl a cappella group. They were both unbelievably happy and both girls thought that there relationship would last forever.

They were wrong.

_Four Weeks Before The Finals_

Things were not going well for Chloe and Aubrey. When they were first accepted into The Barden Bellas, there love had grown stronger and their relationship had become tighter. However, not all things improve over time and like a malnourished pot plant, there relationship began to wither and deteriorate.

"Aubrey, we have four weeks to go and then we will be at Lincoln Centre! We can't afford any screw-ups now!" Chloe yelled at the blonde sitting on the bed opposite. Chloe was on her feet and her face had gone redder than her hair.

"I'm sorry Chloe, but I can't help it. My nerves are getting worse, I think I need medical treatment." Aubrey said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was full of self-loathing because she couldn't bear the fact that she had made Chloe this angry.

"You don't need medical treatment, you need to get a grip and you need a reality check, we can't…" Chloe stopped yelling, choking up. She dropped to her knees and started sobbing uncontrollably. Aubrey got down onto the floor and put her arms around her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, despite Chloe's outburst Aubrey still loved her and would do anything she could to make her happy.

"I'm so sorry Aubrey. I never lose it like this. I'm usually calm and supportive and I always hate myself when I lose control and I hate myself even more when I lose control at you." Chloe said, struggling to construct a sentence through the sobs. Aubrey sagged, she didn't know whether it was Chloe's mood swings, her nerves or the pressure of the big a cappella final that was looming ever closer, but Aubrey could tell that their relationship was broken. They just needed to accept it and move on.

"Chloe, I think we need to…" Aubrey began to say, but Chloe cut her off.

"I know what you are going to say. I agree, we need to end things now if we want to stay friends. If we try to repair things we could end up losing each other for good." Chloe said, choking back the tears and offering a shaky smile at Aubrey.

"Oh, I was just going to tell you your fly was down." Aubrey said, trying to keep a straight face. Then both Chloe and Aubrey burst out laughing and they held each other tightly, cementing a friendship that hell nor high water could destroy.

_The Finals at Lincoln Centre_

"Okay girls, tonight we have to bring our A-game. We need to be focussed and ready to deliver an a cappella kick directly into Bumper's stupid face. This isn't just another competition, this is the big leagues, we need to annihilate the competition. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that if any of you screw up then you should throw yourselves in front of a bus. Do I make myself clear?" snapped the Black-haired Bitch, who had just delivered what was quite possibly the worst motivational pep-talk ever.

A chorus of "Yes Alice" came from the Bellas, who were hurriedly changing into their uniforms, sheer terror knawing at each of their stomachs.

However, everyone has a different way of coping with stage fright and the Black-haired Bitch's method was to shout and be angry at everyone she came into contact with. All the Bellas had finished changing and had gone to wait in the wings, so that they could go straight on stage after the Barden Treble Makers had finished their act, singing: "Please Don't Stop the Music".

"Chloe, are you coming?" Aubrey asked, stopping at the door. The red head looked up.

"Yeah, I just need to find my neck tie. I'll catch up with you in a second." Chloe said, obviously flustered.

Aubrey left along with the rest of The Bellas, they stood there in the wings watching The Treble Makers deliver a ground-breaking performance. The judges were looking extremely impressed and delighted by The Trebles' magnificent performance. The Black-haired Bitch stood there tapping her foot out of impatience, jealousy and anger. Chloe ran up to the rest of the Bellas and sidled up to Aubrey, with the neck tie wrapped haphazardly around her neck.

"I found it!" she whispered excitedly, shooting Aubrey that delightfully charming smile.

"It looks like it found you." Aubrey commented. Chloe looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It looks like the thing attacked you. You have not tied it up well at all." Aubrey giggled. Chloe began giggling too as she attempted to correct her temporary wardrobe malfunction. However, the Black-haired Bitch's "mirth sensor" seemed to be very effective and she spun around, outraged that anyone was even smiling. She spotted Chloe and yanked her forwards and started fiddling with the neck-tie.

"Chloe, look at you, you're a mess, you're unfocused, you're unreliable and your breath smells like eggs all the time." Snapped the Black-haired Bitch tightening the tie so quickly that it almost severed Chloe's windpipe.

"Eggs? What the hell, I don't have nodes." Chloe thought to herself, trying hard not to glare at the Black-haired Bitch. She clicked her fingers and beckoned Aubrey over.

"I cannot believe that The Bellas are being passed on to you two slut-bags next year. Just make sure you don't eff up your solo, got it?" She snapped, glaring at Aubrey.

"I won't disappoint you, my dad always says: if you're not here to win, then get the hell out of Kuwait!" Aubrey stammered proudly. The Black-haired Bitch scowled.

"Has he ever told you to shut up?" she snapped, turning to face the stage. Aubrey and Chloe looked at each other and smiled supportively, they even held hands for a few moments. They were no longer a couple and oddly that had brought them closer together. The Treble Makers had finished their performance and they ran off the stage, their leader stopped to be snarky to the Black-haired Bitch, but neither Chloe nor Aubrey could hear what he said.

"Sisters before misters!" Bumper shouted at them as he sidled past them, with that cocky smirk on his face.

The Bellas walked out onto stage and the audience applauded. Everyone knew that this year would be a clash of the titans, The Barden Bellas VS The Barden Treble Makers. The Bellas began to perform and the audience hummed along with the song, even the judges seemed to be enjoying the simplicity of their set. Nothing could go wrong.

Aubrey broke into her solo at the correct time and she was performing beautifully, she could feel the crowd's approval washing over her like the warm waves of an ocean. Then she felt her self-doubt creeping into her mind like an unwanted guest at a Christmas party. She remembered all the blazing rows she'd had with Chloe, she remembered everything she'd ever done wrong, she felt all her emotions bubbling away inside her and she was helpless to stop them from erupting.

"I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I saw the…" Aubrey's magnificent solo was cut short as she lurched forward and spewed forth an epic torrent of vomit. It went all over the microphone, the stage and the audience. The Black-haired Bitch looked as if she had just been kicked in the faced and Chloe looked appalled and yet sad at the same time. Chloe rushed over while everyone else in Lincoln Centre laughed and jeered at Aubrey.

"Oh my god, Aubrey! Are you ok?" she asked, primarily concerned with the well-being of her friend.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe. I wish I could have treated you right. I'm so sorry." Aubrey sobbed. Chloe was taken aback.

"You vomited because of me? That's so wonderful of you! Don't get me wrong, it's revolting, but it is also oddly romantic. Thank you." Chloe said, squeezing Aubrey's shoulder and smiling. Aubrey was so surprised by what Chloe said, she said a word that would be part of the Posen family legacy for years to come.

"Aca-scuse me?" choked Aubrey. Chloe helped lead her off stage and to a bathroom. Despite them not working as a romantic couple, they worked well as a close-knit pair and despite their volatile nature, Chloe knew she would never meet anyone who she'd love as much as Aubrey Posen.

Then, four months later Chloe Beale met Beca Mitchell and that promise was forgotten.


End file.
